# 琵琶
## Chinese

* 琵琶

### Etymology

Borrowed from a language in the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. Compare Persian بربط (barbat, “barbat; lute”), Ancient Greek βάρβιτος (bárbitos, “barbitos; ancient stringed instrument”).
Both characters were initially non-checked-tone characters. Reborrowed during the Tang Dynasty from a source that more closely resembles the modern Persian name of the instrument, both characters were read as if they have checked codas. The original non-checked readings were restored after the Ming Dynasty (bat carving head pipa). Compare the modern checked-tone dialectal readings of 枇杷 (pípá).
Much folk etymology exists surrounding the name origin. The dictionary Shiming [2nd CE] explains the name as 批把 (“slap-grasp”), reflecting the plucking movements while playing the stringed instrument. 琵琶 is also cognate with—and possibly gave rise to the name of (due to the similarity in shape)—枇杷 (pípá, “loquat”), which is also a non-native species.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): pípá
    (Zhuyin): ㄆㄧˊ ㄆㄚˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): pei$^4$ paa$^4$ / pei$^4$ paa$^{4-2}$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): phì-phà
    (Hailu, HRS): pi pa
* Northern Min (KCR): bǐ-bǎ
* Eastern Min (BUC): bì-bà
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): pî-pê / kî-pê / gî-pê / khî-pê / pî-pêe
    (Teochew, Peng'im): bi$^5$ bê$^5$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^6$bi-bo
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: pípá → pípa (toneless final syllable variant)
*** Zhuyin: ㄆㄧˊ ㄆㄚˊ → ㄆㄧˊ ˙ㄆㄚ (toneless final syllable variant)
*** Tongyong Pinyin: pípå
*** Wade–Giles: pʻi$^2$-pʻa$^5$
*** Yale: pí-pa
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: pyi.par
*** Palladius: пипа (pipa)
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰi³⁵ pʰä³⁵/ → /pʰi³⁵ pʰä³/
*** Homophones: [Show/Hide]$^{edit}$批把 枇把 枇杷 琵琶
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: pei$^4$ paa$^4$ / pei$^4$ paa$^{4-2}$
*** Yale: pèih pàh / pèih pá
*** Cantonese Pinyin: pei$^4$ paa$^4$ / pei$^4$ paa$^{4-2}$
*** Guangdong Romanization: péi$^4$ pa$^4$ / péi$^4$ pa$^{4-2}$
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰei̯²¹ pʰaː²¹/, /pʰei̯²¹ pʰaː²¹⁻³⁵/
*** Homophones: $^{edit}$枇杷 琵琶
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phì-phà
*** Hakka Romanization System: pi$^ˇ$ pa$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: pi$^2$ pa$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /pʰi¹¹ pʰa¹¹/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: pi pa
*** Sinological IPA: /pʰi⁵⁵ pʰa⁵⁵/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: bǐ-bǎ
*** Sinological IPA : /pi²¹ pa²¹/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: bì-bà
*** Sinological IPA : /pi⁵³⁻³³ $^{(p-)}$βa⁵³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Tainan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pî-pê
*** Tâi-lô: pî-pê
*** Phofsit Daibuun: pi'pee
*** IPA (Taipei): /pi²⁴⁻¹¹ pe²⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /pi²³⁻³³ pe²³/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /pi¹³⁻²² pe¹³/
*** IPA (Tainan): /pi²⁴⁻³³ pe²⁴/
*** IPA (Xiamen): /pi²⁴⁻²² pe²⁴/
** (Hokkien: Xiamen)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kî-pê
*** Tâi-lô: kî-pê
*** Phofsit Daibuun: ki'pee
*** IPA (Xiamen): /ki²⁴⁻²² pe²⁴/
** (Hokkien: Xiamen)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gî-pê
*** Tâi-lô: gî-pê
*** Phofsit Daibuun: gi'pee
*** IPA (Xiamen): /ɡi²⁴⁻²² pe²⁴/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khî-pê
*** Tâi-lô: khî-pê
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qi'pee
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰi²⁴⁻²² pe²⁴/
** (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pî-pêe
*** Tâi-lô: pî-pêe
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /pi¹³⁻²² pɛ¹³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: bi$^5$ bê$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pî pê
*** Sinological IPA : /pi⁵⁵⁻¹¹ pe⁵⁵/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^6$bi-bo
*** MiniDict: bi$^去$ bo
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^3$bi-bo
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /bi²² bo⁴⁴/
* Middle Chinese: bjij bae
Rime :
| Character | 琵 | 琶 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 並 (3) | 並 (3) |
| Final (韻) | 脂 (15) | 麻 (98) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | II |
| Fanqie | 房脂切 | 蒲巴切 |
| Baxter | bjij | bae |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /biɪ/ | /bˠa/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /bi/ | /bᵚa/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /bjɪ/ | /ba/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /bi/ | /baɨ/ |
| Li Rong | /bi/ | /ba/ |
| Wang Li | /bi/ | /ba/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /bʱi/ | /bʱa/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | pí | pá |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | pei$^4$ | paa$^4$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Zhengzhang): /*bi braː/
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 琵 | 琶 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 525 | 116 |
| Phonetic component | 比 | 巴 |
| Rime group | 脂 | 魚 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 𣬈 | 爬 |
| Old Chinese | /*bi/ | /*braː/ |
| Notes | 釋名作枇杷 | 釋名作枇杷 |

### Noun

琵琶
* pipa (plucked Chinese string instrument) (Classifier: 支 mn-t)
    From: 816, 白居易 (Bai Juyi), 琵琶行 (The Song of the Pipa Player)
    Qiānhūwànhuàn shǐ chūlái, yóu bào pípá bàn zhē miàn. [Pinyin]
    Yet we called and urged a thousand times before she started toward us, Still hiding half her face from us behind her pipa.

#### Derived terms

* 反彈琵琶 / 反弹琵琶
* 彈琵琶 / 弹琵琶
* 洋琵琶 (yángpípa)
* 漢琵琶 / 汉琵琶
* 烏孫琵琶 / 乌孙琵琶
* 琵琶仔
* 琵琶別抱 / 琵琶别抱 (pípábiébào)
* 琵琶湖 (Pípáhú)
* 琵琶舊語 / 琵琶旧语
* 琵琶蟲 / 琵琶虫 (pípáchóng)
* 琵琶行
* 琵琶襟
* 琵琶記 / 琵琶记
* 琵琶調 / 琵琶调
* 琵琶譜 / 琵琶谱
* 琵琶錄 / 琵琶录
* 琵琶骨 (pípagǔ)
* 琵琶魚 / 琵琶鱼 (pípáyú)
* 琵琶鮫 / 琵琶鲛
* 秦琵琶 (qínpípá)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 琵琶(びわ) (biwa)
* → Korean: 비파(琵琶) (bipa)
* → Vietnamese: tì bà (琵琶)
Others:
* → Georgian: ფიფა (pipa)
* → Zhuang: bizbaz

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 琵 | 琶 |
| び Jinmeiyō | は > わ Jinmeiyō |
| on'yomi ||

### Etymology

/bipa/ → /bifa/ → /biwa/
Borrowing from Middle Chinese 琵琶 (MC bjij bae). The sound change of /f/ → /w/ is unusual in Sino-Japanese vocabulary.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) びわ [bíꜜwà] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [bʲiβ̞a̠]

### Noun

琵(び)琶(わ) • (biwa)
* biwa (plucked, fretted pear-shaped Japanese lute with four or, more rarely, five strings)
    Synonyms: 琵琶琴 (biwagoto); 琵琶の琴 (biwa no koto); 四弦, 四絃 (shigen); 四つの緒 (yotsu no o)
    Hyponyms: 筑前琵琶 (Chikuzen biwa), 薩摩琵琶 (Satsuma biwa), 平家琵琶 (Heike biwa), 楽琵琶 (Gaku biwa)

#### Derived terms

* 琵琶(びわ)合(あ)わせ, 琵琶(びわ)合(あわ)せ (biwa-awase)
* 琵琶(びわ)歌(うた) (biwauta)
* 琵琶打(びわう)ち (biwa-uchi)
* 琵琶(ビワ)貝(ガイ) (biwagai)
* 琵琶(びわ)形(がた)銅剣(どうけん) (biwa-gata dōken)
* 琵琶(ビワ)蟹(ガニ) (biwagani)
* 琵琶記(びわき) (Biwaki)
* 琵琶湖(びわこ) (Biwako)
* 琵琶(びわ)行(こう) (Biwakō)
* 琵琶(びわ)琴(ごと) (biwagoto)
* 琵琶(びわ)滝(だき) (Biwa-daki)
* 琵琶(びわ)の琴(こと) (biwa no koto)
* 琵琶(ビワ)羽(ハ)衣(ゴロモ) (biwa hagoromo)
* 琵琶(びわ)法師(ほうし) (biwa hōshi)
* 琵琶(ビワ)鱒(マス) (biwamasu)
* 楽(がく)琵琶(びわ) (gaku biwa)
* 薩摩(さつま)琵琶(びわ) (Satsuma biwa)
* 筑前(ちくぜん)琵琶(びわ) (Chikuzen biwa)
* 筑紫(つくし)琵琶(びわ) (Tsukushi biwa)
* 錦(にしき)琵琶(びわ) (nishiki biwa)
* 平家(へいけ)琵琶(びわ) (Heike biwa)
* 盲僧(もうそう)琵琶(びわ) (mōsō biwa)

#### See also

* びやぼん (biyabon)
* 枇杷(ビワ) (biwa, “loquat”)
* 槽(そう) (sō)
* 弁才天(べんざいてん) (Benzaiten)

### Proper noun

琵(び)琶(わ) • (Biwa)
* a place name
* a surname

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 琵 | 琶 |

### Noun

琵琶 • (bipa) (hangeul 비파)
* hanja form of 비파 (“bipa, lute”)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 琵 | 琶 |

### Noun

琵琶
* chữ Hán form of tì bà (“pipa”).